The origin of paper cutting

1. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people made handicrafts on some thin materials by hollowing out and carving. This method was popular long before paper appeared. Although it is not made of paper, it is exactly the same, laying the foundation for the emergence of paper-cutting in the true sense. It is said that China's earliest paper-cut works can prove this point.

2. The history of paper-cutting in China's traditional culture, that is, the real art of paper-cutting, should officially begin with the appearance of paper. The main production material of paper-cutting is paper, and the appearance of paper in Han Dynasty promoted the appearance, development and popularization of paper-cutting. At that time, paper was perishable, so people wouldn't keep it. If it breaks, they can cut it again.

In the Northern Dynasties, people cut out all kinds of beautiful patterns with paper. It is said that the earliest and well-documented paper-cuts found at present are five paper-cuts of flowers from the Northern Dynasties found near Huoyan Mountain in Turpan, Xinjiang. At that time, the climate in northwest China was dry and rainy, and the paper was not easy to get moldy. Bian Xiao speculated that this may also be an important reason for the discovery of paper-cutting in Xinjiang in the Northern Dynasties.

4. By the Tang Dynasty, paper-cutting had made great progress. At that time, people applied paper-cut patterns to other handicrafts, and it was popular to use paper-cut to evoke souls. Modern archaeology has unearthed a variety of paper-cut handicrafts in the Tang Dynasty, such as the paper-cut in the Tang Dynasty in the British Museum. It can be seen that the manual art level of paper-cutting at that time was quite superb, and the picture composition was complete, expressing an ideal realm between heaven and earth.

5. In Song Dynasty, the paper industry was mature, which made the art of paper-cutting more and more popular. Paper-cutting in the Song Dynasty was used in various fields, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, artists took it as their profession. Shadow play was popular at that time, and it was also made of thick paper. The greatest creation of paper-cutting in Song Dynasty is the printed pattern of porcelain paper-cutting, which is made by pasting paper-cutting in a kiln when glazing.

6. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the folk paper-cutting art became more and more mature and reached its peak. At this time, the application scope of folk paper-cutting art is broader. However, all the decorations on folk lanterns, decorative patterns on fans and embroidery patterns are reprocessed with paper-cutting as decoration.

Extended data:

The significance of paper-cutting:

Folk paper-cutting is good at combining all kinds of objects and images to produce ideal and beautiful effects. No matter whether one or more image combinations are used, they are modeled by "image implication" and "meaning conformation", rather than by objective natural forms. At the same time, they are also good at using metaphor and combining conventional images to create various mascots to express their psychology.

Pursuing auspicious metaphor has become one of the ultimate goals of image combination. The geographical closure and cultural limitations, as well as the intrusion of adversity such as natural disasters, aroused people's desire for a happy life. People pray for ample food and clothing, prosperity, health and longevity, and all the best. This simple wish is conveyed through paper-cutting.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Chinese Paper-cutting